Nine days in the life of Charles de Foucauld: 1890, the reversal

He gave up his first name, his title of viscount, his possessions and the social life he led in Paris.

He no longer wanders in search of God.

He gave himself to Jesus Christ.

Entirely.

For all time.

In Morocco but especially in Algeria, in the desert, he wondered about the faith of Muslims.

She had shaken something in him.

But what ?

To discover

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Back in France, Charles rented an apartment and worked on his book Recognition in Morocco.

Every Sunday he lunched with his aunt Moitessier.

Often, he also came to dine in his mansion.

She received extremely cultured people who professed their Christian faith.

Charles wondered how such intelligent people could believe in God.

One day Father Huvelin was at the Moitessiers' table.

They looked at each other.

Barely spoken.

But Charles was struck by the sweetness of her smile.

Soon after, he walked into a church and sat down away from the altar.

He did not pray.

He couldn't.

He just whispered, "

»

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At the end of October 1886, Charles decided to go see Father Huvelin.

He was sitting in his confessional.

“

» The response of the vicar of Saint-Augustin rocketed: «

Charles protested, but Father Huvelin repeated, "

Moved by a force he could no longer resist, Charles knelt down.

Soon after, he decided to go to the Holy Land.

It was snowing when he arrived in Jerusalem.

He visited all the churches, went up and down the Mount of Olives.

He spent Christmas in Bethlehem, crossed Galilee on horseback, understood in Nazareth that his whole being now belonged to Jesus Christ.

Upon his return, Charles is determined to enter a convent.

He made four retreats in monasteries before choosing the Trappe of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges on the heights of the Vivarais mountains.

His novitiate began on January 17, 1890. Six months later, he landed in Alexandretta and joined the Trappist convent of Akbès, in Syria, as he had wished.

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The poverty of this monastery, built hastily because the monks feared being expelled from France by anticlerical laws, suits Charles.

It has only about twenty religious, who welcome about fifteen orphans, lay workers as well as passing guests.

In a letter to his sister Marie, he describes a day at the convent.

It begins at two o'clock in the morning and is punctuated by prayers, offices.

The rest of the time is taken up with field work.

He who, when he entered Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, did not even know how to handle a broom, now saws wood, transports stones, lava, pickaxe, spade and, when his health no longer allows him such exhausting work , takes care of orphans.

Dom Martin, Abbot of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, who came on a regular visit to Syria, will preside over the ceremony of the profession of religious faith of Brother Marie-Albéric.

He will say: “

The Trappists want this "

" to study theology.

Charles, who was struck by a phrase from Abbé Huvelin – "

from him " – only wants to approach this humility, but he obeys its hierarchy.

In his letters, he will recognize that this teaching is useful, no doubt even necessary, but a voice within him keeps telling him: go further!

go as close as you can to the Lord, without striving to take the last place that belongs to him.

Father Huvelin, who remained his spiritual father, was worried about the singularity of Brother Marie-Albéric.

In his letters, he tries to keep him on this slope, urging him to continue his studies at least until the diaconate.

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Charles de Foucauld, a voice in the desert Private collection-Color by Klimbim et Fond

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